We're Reading The Sunday Herald And Ignoring My Daughter Elena Kaplan's 38th Birthday

The Miami Herald came out with this great deal on Sunday only home delivery so of course Janis comes over every Sunday morning knowing that I have a newspaper, fresh coffee, and usually some Danish or bagels, She hates being photographed and the moment I pick up a camera she either turns away or hides behind something. Here it's the newspaper.

It's also my daughter Elena's 38th birthday. I thought about sending her a card but decided against it. I briefly considered calling her but decided against that also. She said that she didn't want to see me or hear from me again. I've since discovered that I'm not the only father of a daughter like that. It's fairly common actualy.

Me And Monkey

Photo (c) James Mitchell

This charming sensitive portrait of me and Monkey (that's me on the left) is actually a few years old, shot when I was a youthful 63 and Monkey about a year younger. We were sitting around outside of Starbucks on Biscayne Blvd. and 135th St., me smoking cigarettes as usual. Monkey doesn't smoke, never has, but he does seem to enjoy being around smokers. He prefers ganga smokers though. Starbucks doesn't allow that on the patio.

I'll be turning 66 in a couple of weeks on the ninth of November. I'm not sure about Monkey's birthday, though. He keeps it a secret. He and I have a long history together!

He got really excited yesterday when we got an email from James telling us that he'd be in town toward the end of January or beginning of February. He wants to get James to photograph him together with Monkette. He said that James shoots better portraits than I do. Thanks a lot! Hell, at this point James probably had my 85mm f/2 Nikkor on his Leica, judging by the contrast and bokeh. He fell in love with that lens, and ended up buying two of them, one chrome, one black. Mine is chrome. I love it dearly, but when it comes to cuddling a toy monkey is much better than any silly old lens, don't you think?

Happy ??th Birthday, Elena Kaplan

Yes, I know. I used the same picture last year. And why not? The pony rides are still there, it's only a few blocks from the house, and I drive by it several times a day. It's on my way to the post office, the supermarket, the Target store, and the neighborhood Starbucks. A constant reminder of the cute little girl that used to love going to the pony rides.

Now she's an attorney in Atlanta, involved in politics just like her father, and hopefully next time she runs for office she'll enjoy a landslide victory. I never did. However, she'll discover that the very act of running in itself, rallying a bunch of people together, organizing a campaign, gives you a level of respect and credibility in your community. You don't have to win to "win".

She's reaching that point in life where most of us stop looking forward to getting another year older. It makes me stop and think, too! "Damn! I have a daughter THAT old?" But she's brought a lot of joy to my life. Thanks, Elena, and have a Happy Birthday! You've finally reached the point where you don't have to try and blow out all the candles in one breath! Just enjoy the day.